4 | Great One
ID: 1122611 Wed, Mar 26, 2008, 14:37
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Apparently Fox and NBC are 45% owners each according ot the EW article, below off wiki
Providers Hulu has a two-tiered distribution structure: The site aims to be a destination for free, streaming, ad-supported television shows and films as well as a syndication service, distributing that content across the Web through partnerships with AOL, Yahoo, MSN, MySpace and others. In addition to NBC and FOX programs, it also carries shows from USA Network, Bravo, Fuel TV, FX, Sci Fi, Style, Sundance, and Oxygen channels.
The service is a joint venture of NBC Universal and News Corp and is bolstered by Providence Equity, which has made a USD$100 million equity investment and holds a 10% stake in the company.[3] The partnership was announced in March 2007[4] and the name "Hulu" was chosen in late August, when the website went live.[5]
In a letter posted on Hulu's website, CEO Jason Kilar (formerly of Amazon.com[4]) indicated that the site would begin invitation beta testing in October 2007.
Kilar also stated that sites such as AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace, and Yahoo! will partner with Hulu to deliver video content.[6]
The website was originally launched in limited beta testing allowing current users to invite friends. During this test, fifteen to thirty second advertisements are presented intermittently, usually in the place a normal three minute ad break would be placed.
The website launched public access for US users on March 12, 2008.
Reviews Hulu has received extensive media coverage around its launch, and reviewers from various major news outlets have praised it for a variety of reasons. A reverse-chronological sampling follows:
“I've come to regard Hulu as just another place to watch TV, which is a pretty big achievement for a new service. As for the site itself, they've wired it up well. It's easy to find the stuff you want, and (just as important) to find it again later. Videos play in smooth, full-screen video and (taking a tip from YouTube) it's easy to recommend shows to other folks . . . you can even embed episodes in your blog or MySpace page.” - Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times, March 20, 2008 [7]
"The player is fantastic, the best I've seen online. It even holds up to full-screen expansion. If you've ever tried that with other players, you know that the picture immediately is reduced to little fuzzy objects that seem to have words coming out of their mouths, though you can't be certain." - Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, March 19, 2008 [8]
“Hulu's chief design theme, one that clearly appeals to this market…is its pared-down aesthetic, which ‘gets at the bare essence of the product.’ Hulu's simple pages are unencumbered by advertising, while the user interface is uncomplicated and intuitive. ‘There are no blinking lights, no flashy buttons all over the place,’ says Wertheimer. ‘It's a simple, high-quality streaming experience.’” - Matt Vella, BusinessWeek, March 14, 2008 [9]
“Wednesday [March 12, 2008, the date of Hulu’s official launch] may be remembered as the day that the Big Media finally began to understand the Internet.” - Michael S. Malone, ABC News, March 14, 2008 [10]
“Take my word for it, this site's gonna be a huge hit. It's the future and it's here.” - Megan Smith, Megan’s Minute, March 14, 2008 [11]
“[I]t’s the sharpest implementation of a Web video site yet. Plus, it's got the deepest pool of free content” - Steve Johnson, Chicago Tribune, March 13, 2008 [12]
“Hulu has received high marks from media and Web executives for creating an easy to use site with high-quality video and professional content attractive to advertisers.” - Brad Stone, New York Times, March 11, 2008 [13]
"...Hulu is a groundbreaking website that doesn't just offer a bunch of TV shows and movies online -- it actually makes you want to watch them there too." - Anita Hamilton, Time, March 10, 2008 [14]
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